Bears Mailbag - How Will Chicago's Season End?

It's Week 9 in the NFL, and time for our weekly Bears Mailbag! The NFL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and the Chicago Bears are on their BYE week following a disappointing 20-12 loss in New Orleans. They're 3-5 at the break, with a divisional matchup against the Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field coming up. With that, let's reach into this week's Bears Mailbag. Thanks to all those who submitted questions!

It's fascinating that Adam Shaheen hasn't been targeted as much in the passing game so far this season, especially in many critical situations, including the red zone. The Bears selected Shaheen in the second round of this year's draft, and second-round picks are expected to be immediate contributors. Shaheen has seen some snaps, but his role has been more of a run blocker. So far, it doesn't seem like he's fully assimilated to be a major factor in the passing game -- in fact, Daniel Brown came out ahead of Shaheen in certain passing situations. But I think that changes going forward. With Zach Miller's horrific season-ending injury, it's up to the rest of the Bears' tight ends to step up and become reliable targets for QB Mitch Trubisky. It seems that Dion Sims will continue to their primary tight end, but I definitely expect a lot more action, especially in passing situations, for Shaheen. He's had half a season and this upcoming bye week to continue to assimilate into the offense. Dowell Loggains recently said that the game is starting to "slow down" for Shaheen -- remember, he's from Ashland, a Division II school. That said, Sims hasn't proven much catching the ball, and Trubisky needs a big, reliable target to emerge. I expect Shaheen to carve out a bigger role in the second half of the season -- a role that starts to further justify the Bears' use of a second-round pick on him.

Jordan Howard isn't going anywhere, nor should any Bears fan want or hope that he would go anywhere. He's one of the best running backs in the league; he was second in the NFL in rushing his rookie year, and he continues to dominate on the ground this year despite facing stacked boxes week-in and week-out. The Bears have not run a professional offense this season whatsoever, and it's amazing that despite the most predictable and vanilla offense in the league, Howard is still on pace to rush for over 1,300 yards! You're right in saying that pass-catching is not his forte. But he really shouldn't be out running routes. The Bears have won three games this year, thanks in large part to Howard's stamina (Steelers) and ability to break tackles (Ravens). Howard is going to be a Bear for years, and everyone should be excited about it.

It's no secret that this offseason is going to be heavily focused on offense -- especially the wide receiver position. I fully expect the Bears to explore and eventually utilize a combination of channels to upgrade the receiver position (free agency, draft, even trade). For the purposes of speculation, I'll rule out trades. So that leaves free agency and the draft. In free agency, it's hard to really know who will be available because of the franchise tag. It's rare that a truly game-changing receiver will hit the open market. The top names expected to be available include: Larry Fitzgerald, Terrelle Pryor, Alshon Jeffery, Sammy Watkins, and Jarvis Landry. I don't expect Fitzgerald to leave Arizona or Jeffery to come back to Chicago. And of the remaining three, Landry is by far my favorite. He's a young, dynamic receiver, and I'd envision he's do well with Trubisky. In the draft, the top names expected to be available are Equanimeous St. Brown, Calvin Ridley, and Courtland Sutton. I like all three of them. The Bears are unlikely to be picking in the Top 10 in this upcoming draft, but the hope is they will have the chance to pick one of those three in the first round. Depending on whom they value and what happens in free agency, don't be surprised if they take a pass rusher in the first round and address receiver later in the draft. But make no mistake, the receiver corps will look drastically different next year.

This obviously depends on what the Bears decide to do with John Fox at the end of the season. It's well documented that he is unlikely to get the most out of Mitch Trubisky, which is and should be GM Ryan Pace's biggest priority. After all, Pace's future completely depends on Trubisky's development. That said, Pace moving on from Fox would make sense. If that were to happen, it's unlikely that Vic Fangio would be promoted to take his spot. First of all, the Bears are likely to seek an offensive-minded coach to take over. The reasons for this are well documented. Fangio being a defensive coordinator doesn't fit the bill. Second, Fangio has been a well-respected coordinator for years, but has never been too seriously considered for a head coaching job. There could be myriad reasons for this, but if many teams have had the opportunity to hire Fangio for their head role in the past and haven't, it's hard to imagine that he'd all of a sudden be a strong candidate for the Bears. It seems what they need is a young, bright offensive mind to pair with Trubisky to take his development to the next level. If the Bears do part ways with Fox, expect them to target a coach like that.

I'm not sure if the specifics of the conditions have been released as yet. But it's surely based on production. It's a great move by Ryan Pace. Dontrelle Inman showed the ability to get open and sure hands in San Diego -- he was just buried on the depth chart. Pace found an opportunity to snag a receiver who was outnumbered that upgrades his receiving corps at minimal cost. If Inman's production triggers the condition that sends the seventh-round pick to the Chargers, then that means he and Trubisky forged good chemistry and could fit in the offense's future plans. If not, then there's no risk at all.

This is a fascinating question, and I'll answer it by first providing some overarching context. The Packers have a pretty flawed roster without Aaron Rodgers, and I believe it'll be further exposed with him out with injury. Brett Hundley has been his backup for multiple years now, and has talent, but he's no Rodgers. The Lions have struggled after a fast start. The Vikings have control of the NFC North and seem like the favorites to win the division based on current circumstances. Then there's the Bears. I think they've assembled a defense that could compete for a championship today. Yes, compete for a championship. They've been that good -- and any doubts about their capability were erased with their performance in New Orleans, holding the high-powered Saints to just 20 points on their own turf. The offense, obviously, hasn't pulled its own weight, mainly due to a lack of playmakers and predictable play-calling. Quite frankly, I expect it to improve in the second half as Mitch Trubisky continues to grow as a quarterback and Dontrelle Inman's presence helps provide a more reliable target outside than Tanner Gentry. Then there's the schedule. The Bears sit at 3-5 at the halfway point -- a full two games better than most expected them to be at this point in the year. And their second half looks like this: home vs. Packers, home vs. Lions, at Eagles, home vs. 49ers, at Bengals, at Lions, home vs. Browns, and at Vikings. I think the Bears are the better team in their matchups against the Packers, 49ers, Browns, and Bengals. If all goes as it should, they win those games. I think they split with the Lions too (winning the home game). And I'll expect them to lose to the Eagles, Vikings, and the road Lions game. That puts the Bears at 8-8, and that means they likely finish at least third in the division. Depending on how the other teams fare in certain matchups, they could be as high second place. At the beginning of the year, this seemed crazy. After watching the first half of the season and where they are now, not so much.